Randy Brock, the Republican candidate for governor, held a press conference on Wednesday to outline ways Vermont could cut medical spending. Many of the points had been made two weeks prior in the initial release of his health care plan.
Brock defended several key elements of his proposal, including medical tourism and personal responsibility, which came under attack at Gov. Peter Shumlin’s recent campaign launch.
“This is a focus on creating a customer-driven, patient-driven health care system,” said Brock outside the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin.
His proposal includes insurance discounts for healthy individuals, such as non-smokers, and performance audits by the state auditor targeting government health care mandates. He also proposes to reduce the number of unnecessary and costly procedures.
Brock also argued that it might be cheaper to purchase an outside existing model of a health care exchange, rather than to develop one specifically for Vermont. He said the option of the federal government implementing an exchange should be considered, though he conceded that could cause “all manner of evil consequences.”
Brock also defended his emphasis on medical tourism and personal responsibility, arguing that Gov. Peter Shumlin’s jibes at medical tourism ignored the fact that one of the governor’s campaign donors, Bill Stenger, has already begun to work on a medical tourism scheme, at the Jay Peak resort.
Stenger, who owns Jay Peak, confirmed that he is planning to build a medical center, which will include orthopedic services and rehabilitation services to guests, employees and possibly others.
“We are evaluating whether or not there is a market for folks from Quebec to come to Jay, for rehab or other kinds of medical work,” said Stenger. “I guess if that qualifies as medical tourism, so be it. Is it a big deal? It’s part of an overall plan of activity, and it has some potential: We aren’t sure yet how much potential.”
Senate health and welfare committee chair Claire Ayer, D-Addison, said she agreed with many of Brock’s suggestions, but added that the current plans for universal health care already incorporate many such elements, including waste and fraud control, personal responsibility and a focus on preventing illness, fewer unnecessary physician procedures, and price transparency.
“What I hear is a different way of putting the same ideas, using different words,” said Ayer, when asked about those elements. “I don’t see anything new. I haven’t heard anything in there we shouldn’t be doing, but those are all things that are built into the new plan for universal health care.”
As Brock attacked the uncertainties involved in the Shumlin administration’s health care plan throughout the press conference, one woman drove by, shouting repeatedly out of her car: “We need single payer, we need single payer.”